Bobby Templeton was an outside right. He began and ended his career with Kilmarnock, also playing for Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Woolwich Arsenal, Celtic and Fulham.He represented Scotland 11 times. In 1908 he entered a lion's cage and twisted the animal's tail for a wager.T.A. Soar (Fulham)Albert Soar was a light and nippy 'A skilful ball-player whose every touch spoke eloquently of his ability', Other senior clubs represented were Nottingham Forest, Derby County and Watford. He suffered a career ending injury at Watford aged 27. Lipsham (Sheffield United)Bert Lipsham played for Chester City, Crewe Alexandra , Sheffield United and Fulham. It was whilst with the Blades that he enjoyed his best days, winning the FA Cup and getting his single England cap in 1902. After his playing days were over he managed Millwall.Hampton (Aston Villa)In 16 years at Villa Happy Harry scored 242 goals in 376 games. He won the FA Cup in 1905 (scoring both goals in the final) and was capped 4 times by England. Vivian Woodward (Tottenham Hotspur)The amateur Vivian Woodward was a goal machine in international football and a double Olympic gold medalist.Jack Sharp (Everton)Sharp was a double international (football and cricket) and an FA Cup winner (1906).F. Blackburn (West Ham United)Fred Blackburn joined West Ham from Blackburn Rovers (his hometown club). He represented England 3 times.J. Long (Reading)Jimmy Long was a Scotsman- his career began at Clyde and he played League Football for Grimsby Town and Derby County, punctuated by 2 years with Reading in the Southern League. Appleyard (Newcastle United)Bill Appleyard has 109 first class goals to his name, 87 of them with Newcastle United.

Scottish FA secretary William Dick was in the process of arranging a tour to Canada when he died in 1880. This was the year in which David Forsyth had been instrumental in founding the The Western Football Association of Ontario, the force behind Canadian representative football in the Victorian era.

Eight years later The Western Association toured the British Isles and on the evening of 18.09.88 'Canada' met a 'Team of Scotland' at The Glasgow Exhibition Grounds (Kelvingrove Park).

A Team of Scotland

Canada

Gillespie (Queens Park)

GK

Garrett (Toronto Varsity)

Gow (Rangers)

B

Killer (Berlin Rangers)

Forbes (Vale of Leven)

B

Brubacher (Berlin Rangers)

Stewarts (Queens Park)

HB

Gordon (Toronto Varsity)

Auld (Third LRV)

HB

Mustard (Toronto Varsity)

Muir (Rangers)

HB

Pirie (Queen’s University, Dundas F.C)

Hamilton (Queens Park)

OR

Bowman (Berlin Rangers)

Berry (Queens Park)

IR

Gibson (Berlin Rangers)

Campbell (Renton)

CF

Gibson (Berlin Rangers)

McCall (Renton)

IL

Thomson (Toronto Varsity)

McPherson (Cowlairs)

OL

Webster (Galt)

McCall and Berry scored 2 goals each as Scotland ran out 4-0 winners. The press singled out Garrett in the Canadian goal for particular praise.

Audacious , Bold, Daring... take your pick of the translations of the name of the team pictured above. Команда смелых , founded by high school students and the young workers of the St. George engineering plant in Stavropol , Russia in 1910.The men and boys pictured belonged to that generation that was decimated by the 1914-18 war and the Civil War in Russia that followed.

The diversity of club affiliations in Wales line ups has always appealed to me- The FAW seemed to draw on the great professional clubs of the English north and midlands and the village teams of north east Wales in equal measure. As time went on the clubs, both English and Welsh, from the lower reaches of the expanded Football League were also represented.In the period from 1876 to the end of the 1936-37 season Wales played 163 full internationals. Thus means that including 2 substitute appearances, 1795 caps were awarded.138 clubs were represented: 87 English clubs, 44 Welsh clubs, 6 Scottish and 1 (Northern) Irish.

Club

Wrexham (Wrexham Olympic)

209 **

Cardiff City

91

Druids

80 (83)*

Chirk

70

Manchester United (Newton Heath)

66

Manchester City (Ardwick)

65

Bolton Wanderers

62**

Swansea Town

57

Liverpool, Wolverhampton Wanderers

47

Stoke (City)

44

Tottenham Hotspur

42

Bangor City

39

Everton, Oswestry

35

West Bromwich Albion

33

Nottingham Forest

32

Aston Villa, Preston North End

25

Newtown, Ruthin

Derby County

24

(Woolwich) Arsenal, Plymouth Argyle

22

Sheffield United

19

Aberystwyth Town

18

Chester City

17

Crewe Alexandra, Middlesbrough, Oswestry United

15

Northampton Town, Oldham Athletic

14

Notts County, Shrewsbury Town

13

Birmingham City (Small Heath), Blackburn Rovers, Brentford

12

Newport County

Oxford University

Corinthian FC, Leicester City (Fosse)

11

Coventry City, Sunderland

10

Bootle

9

Brighton and Hove Albion

8

Berwyn Rangers

Clapton Orient

Grimsby Town, Millwall (Athletic)

Rhyl

The Wednesday

Hibernian

Crystal Palace, Rotherham United, West Ham United

7

Aberdare Athletic

6

Chelsea

Corwen

Derby School

Motherwell

Northwich Victoria

Portsmouth, St Thomas’ Hospital (London), Southend United

Charlton Athletic

5

East Stirlingshire

Llanelly Town

Merthyr Town

Oswestry White

Stars, Reading

Cambridge University

4

Cardiff Corinthians

London Welsh

Llangollen

Port Vale, Shrewsbury Engineers, Swifts, Tranmere Rovers

Barmouth

Burton Swifts

3

Builth

Lincoln City

Llandrindod Wells

New Brighton Tower

Oswestry Town, Shropshire

Wanderers

Swansea FC

Welshpool

Walsall

Wrexham Civil Service

Blackpool, Bradford City

Bradford Park Avenue, Bristol City

2

Brymbo Institute, Colwyn Bay, Llanduno, Newtown Excelsior

Rhos

Queens Park

South Liverpool , Watford

Aberaman

Barnsley

1

Brecon

Bristol Rovers

Burton United

CarnarvonAthletic

Clapton , Crusaders, Fulham, Glossop North End, Hereford Town

Heart of Midlothian

Huddersfield Town, Leeds City

Leyton

Linfield

Llanberis

Llandudno

Swifts, Lovell’s Athletic, Mold

Newtown White Stars

Nelson, Newcastle United

Parkgrove Glasgow

Presteigne , Rhosllanerchrugog

Rhostyllen Victoria, Ruabon

Shrewsbury Town, Southampton, St Helens Recreation, Swindon Town

Treharris

Wellingborough Grammar School

Wynnstay

The Secretary of the Football Association of Wales***

* 3 players are listed as Druids and Shropshire Wanderers.

** Including 1 substitute

***Alexander Hunter played against Ireland in 1887 - he was Secretary of the FAW and not affiliated to any club.

May 27th , 1934,Centenario Stadium, Nacional v Peñarol in the league championship play off . 21 minutes into the second half. The score is 0-0. Bahía, Peñarol's Brazilian winger, shoots at goal, (at theColombes end of the ground if you're a stickler for detail). Eduardo García in the Nacional goal is beaten but the ball passes his right hand upright. The ball then strikes a case belonging to the Nacional physio, and bounces back into play. Anselmo passes to Braulio Castro who rolls the ball into the net. Referee Telésforo Rodríguez signals a goal.Nacional's Juan Miguel Labraga and José Nasazzi protest vigorously- to the point of assaulting the referee. After the furore abates Snr.Rodríguez required medical tresatment- he is replaced by Luis Scandroglio. Nasazzi,Labraga and Chifflet are dismissed. Darkness falls and the match is suspended.64 days later(!) the League passed judgement.Castro's goal was expunged. The match was to be resumed as 0-0 after 70 minutes, but Nasazzi and Labraga remained sent off. Chifflet was reprieved. So, on 25.08.34 the remaining 20 minutes was played behind closed doors at the Centenario. The 9 of Nacional held on for a 0-0 draw , even though 2 half hour periods of extra time were also played.Braulio Castro

The 9 of Nacional

September 2nd's replay saw a further 150 goalless minutes between the 2 sides (11 against 11 this time).The matter wasn't decided until November 18th-Centenario was again the venue. Braulio Castro put Peñarol ahead in the 42nd minute, Hector Castro equalising 8 minutes after the break. 5 minutes later Arremon restoredPeñarol's lead but in less than 20 minutes Hector Castro completed his hattrick to seal the championship for Nacional

Hull City A.F.C. were founded on 28 June 1904. Kingston upon Hull was a Northern Union (Rugby League) stronghold, and previous attempts to establish Association in the city had failed.

The club was formed too late in the year to apply for membership of the Football League, so in their first season they played only friendly matches. The early matches were played at The Boulevard, home of rugby side Hull FC. This groundsharing scheme (costing the football club £100 a year) soon ended . They began their League career playing at The Circle, a cricket ground, and in 1906 established a stadium at Anlaby Road.

There were 6,000 at The Boulevard to see City's first match, a 2-2 draw with Notts County on 1st September 1904.

The white jerseys were soon abandoned in favour of black and amber stripes

Hull's prompt elevation to The Football League reflects the way in which the League actively promoted clubs in Yorkshire in order to challenge the dominance of Rugby League and get a share of a lucrative market.

City played their first League match on September 2nd 1905, beating Barnsley 4-1 at The Circle.

Here's the Hull line up:

GK

Martin Spendiff

From North Shields, Spendiff joined City from Grimsby Town.

FB

Ambrose Langley

This was Langley’s last season in the Football League- he joined Hull from The Wednesday, where he had spent 11 seasons. He featured in the League Championship winning sides of 1903 and 1904. He was player manager and was in charge of City until 1913. He later managed Huddersfield Town.

FB

Tom Jones

This was Shropshire born Jones’ only season of League football.

HB

Bill Martin

Just 4 League appearances for Londoner Martin in 1905-06. He joined from Millwall Athletic and moved back south to join Clapton Orient for the following season.

HB

William Robinson

Robinson joined Hull having made just 1 League appearance for Manchester City.

He played 119 League matches for Hull before moving on to Bolton Wanderers in 1908.

HB

Davy Gordon

10 seasons at Hull having joined from Leith Athletic. Played 270 games for Hull and later managed Hibernian and Hartlepools United.

OR

George Rushton

Previous League experience with Burslem Port Vale.

IR

George Spence

The second Scotsman in the team, Spence started off at St Mirren. He played League football for Gainsborough Trinity and Preston North End, punctuated with spells with a variety of Southern League clubs. Returned to Scotland (Clyde) after one season at Hull, Scored Hull’s first ever league goal.

CF

David 'Soldier' Wilson

Boer War veteran Wilson began his professional career in Scotland (he was an Englishman), Transferred to Leeds City in December 1905. Died of a heart attack he suffered when playing during the Leeds City v Burnley match on 27.10.06.

IL

Peter Howe

15 goals in 32 League matches- later joined Leeds City.

OL

Andrew Raisbeck

Scotsman- was at Liverpool along with his legendary brother, Alec, but never made the first team. Emigrated to Canada after 2 season at Hull.

In these 2 photographs of Katwijk's splendidly named Quick Boys the goalkeepers seem to be wearing neckties. Up until 1954 all football in the Netherlands was amateur. Quick Boys, founded in 1920, are among the clubs who have remained amateur.

Up until 1939 Thailand was known as Siam.The Siam national football team played its first match on December 20th 1915. The opponents were a team of mixed European residents. Rather imaginatively this team was called The Europeans. The match was held at Bangkok's Royal Sport Club. I do not know what the result was. On April 25, 1916, King Rama VI (Vajiravudh) established the Football Association of Siam and instituted The Yai Cup.King Rama VI appears to have been an interested and active patron of the game. Siam joined FIFA in 1925, the first Asian country to do so.The team played its first international match in 1930 against an Indochina team made up of Vietnamese and French players.

1915 : Siam team with the King

The players who faced The Europeans in 1915

1916: Department of Performing Arts pictured with theYai Cup (donated by The King).

Following James Reddie Lang's spell with The Wednesday in 1876 the next examples of Scottish players moving to England in order to play football for money are Fergus Suter and James Love, who joined Darwen in 1878.Glaswegian full-back Suter had played for Partick and Glasgow Rangers. Over the New Year holiday in 1878 Partick visited Lancashire and played both Darwen (losing 3-2) and Blackburn Rovers (losing 2-1).Suter was a stonemason, although it was noted that he didn't continue his trade when he was living in Lancashire. Darwen alays denied he was a professional, but Suter later commented I would interview the treasurer as occasion arose.Suter's play drew positive comments in the press- he was an active proponent of combination play, linking with his half backs and forwards and launching attacks himself rather than just seeing his role as being to clear his lines with long kicks. The way in which he lofted free kicks for the centre forward to head also seems to have been an innovation. Suter featured in Darwen's legendary cup run of 1879, but in 1880 he shocked the town by transferring to their neighbours and rivals Blackburn Rovers.

The acrimony wasn't helped when Suter and Darwen's Thomas Marshall grappled in a cup tie in November 1880 at Alexandra Meadows. The match was abandoned,the return match was cancelled, and the two sides declined to meet other than in cup ties in the future. The local press featured some interesting correspondence in the wake of this match:

Here is another interesting letter. Transfer gossip and speculation are nothing new:

Whilst with Rovers Suter appeared in four FA Cup Finals, picking up 3 winner's medals. He was still around when the Football League came into being, but only played in one League match, appearing in goal against West Bromwich Albion on 22nd December 1888.

Thomas Maley was an Irishman who served in the Royal Highland Fusiliers for 22 years. He was a veteran of the Crimea and had traveled the world. He had 4 sons. One,Charles,became a priest, the other 3 were involved in football.

Tom (1864 –1935)

Tom was born in Portsmouth. He was an all round athlete, particularly successful at the 100 yards. Unsurprisingly he played on the wing, as outside left. Known as Handsome Tom, he played football as an amateur, being a qualified school master.

Tom played in Celtic's first ever match , and when his playing days were over he became a director of the club (1897).

In 1902 Tom took over as manager of Manchester City. Maley's time at City got off to a tragic start. Welsh star Di Jones died as the result of an injury sustained in an exhibition match. Tom Maley was influential though in creating a strong bond between his players. They won promotion back to the First Division in his first season in charge, and the following season (1903–04) they won the FA Cup and finished 2nd in the League. 1904–05 saw City finishing in 3rd place and 1905-06 5th. Maley was transforming City into a major force.

Manchester City's record under Maley:

P

W

D

L

F

A

Win %

150

89

22

39

322

178

59.33

However in the summer of 1906 an FA investigation into the payment of bonuses had a catastrophic impact on the club. 17 players were fined and suspended from football until January 1907 . City had to sell many players and Maley received a life ban from the game.

He returned to Glasgow and worked as a teacher, When his life ban was revoked in 1910 he returned to football management.

As a player:

1881

Cathcart

1882

London Caledonian

1883

Partick Thistle

1884

Third Lanark Rifle Volunteers

1885

Hibernian

1886

Third Lanark Rifle Volunteers

1887

Clydesdale Harriers

1888- 1891

Celtic

1891

St Mirren (loan)

1892-93

Preston North End

As manager:

1902

Manchester City

1911

Bradford Park Avenue

1925

Southport

1931

Celtic (assistant)

Willie (1868 –1958)

Willie was born in Newry in Ireland. Like Tom, he developed into an all round athlete. His incredible association with Celtic began by chance. Brother Walfrid and Mr Glass were calling on Tom Maley in Cathcart to ask him to join the club they were forming. Tom was out, Willie was at home. They suggested that if Tom decided to take up the offer that Willie should come along as well.

Consequently Willie played alongside Tom in Celtic's first ever fixture.

Playing at half-back Willie was at Celtic for 9 seasons as a player, winning 3 Scottish League Championships (1892-93, 1893-94, 1895-96) and the Scottish FA Cup (1892). He made 2 international appearances for Scotland in 1893.

Maley had his first taste of football administration when he took on the role of Player-Secretary in May 1894. Maley became full-time manager of Celtic at the end of the 1897 season. He remained in post for 43 years, during which time he led the club to 30 trophy wins.

As a player:

1886

Cathcart Hazlebank

1887

Third Lanark Rifle Volunteers

1888-97

Celtic

1889

Ardwick (loan)

1893

Scotland (2 internationals)

1895-96

Manchester City (loan)

1896-97

Everton (loan)

As manager:

1897- 1940

Celtic

League

Cup

1897–98

Champions

1898–99

Winners

1899–1900

Winners

1900-01

1901-02

1902-03

1903–04

Winners

1904–05

Champions

1905–06

Champions

1906–07

Champions

Winners

1907–08

Champions

Winners

1908–09

Champions

1909–10

Champions

1910–11

Winners

1911–12

Winners

1912-13

1913–14

Champions

Winners

1914–15

Champions

1915–16

Champions

1916–17

Champions

1917-18

1918–19

Champions

1919-20

1920-21

1921–22

Champions

1922–23

Winners

1923-24

1924-25

Winners

1925-26

Champions

1926-27

Winners

1927-28

1928-29

1929-30

1930-31

Winners

1931-32

1932-33

Winners

1933-34

1934-35

1935-36

Champions

1936-37

Winners

1937–38

Champions

Celtic's record under Maley:

P

W

D

L

Win %

1,611

1,039

314

258

64.49

One of the only pics I've seen of Willie Maley sans hat- in a hat advertisement.

Alex (1874 – 1949)

Youngest brother Alex never played at a high level, but followed his brothers into management. He was, incidentally, the only one born in Scotland. He also worked as a journalist.

He led teams to the Scottish FA Cup final on 4 occasions, but was on the losing side every time (1910 and 1912 with Clyde, 1923 and 1924 with Hibernian).As manager:

Imagine Nobby Stiles, Bryan Robson and Roy Keane rolled into one and the hardness multiplied by 10. That's the image that history tends to portray of the 6 foot tall half back Frank Barson.Whether or not he actually carried a gun into a negotiation over pay,it is often claimed that Barson was one of the hardest characters to grace the English game. As such he also became something of a target for referees, Famously Jack Howcroft approached Barson before the 1920 Cup Final and warned him that he would send him off as soon as he stepped out of line.If we consider the hard evidence though- in 394 League, FA Cup and international matches he was only sent off 3 times! So either his reputation has been enhanced by romanticism or referees were far more tolerant back then.Barson's Villa career had suffered as a result of his refusal to move to Birmingham from Sheffield, where he had business interests. He was capped by England on 1 occasion, playing in a 2-1 defeat against Wales in 1921.On one occasion Barson, then with Watford, was suspended for 6 months for an assault that seems to have occurred only in the mind of the referee. At Manchester United he was celebrated for his leadership skills, but when the club presented him with a pub, he promptly gave it away...

The name Crystal Palace could refer to 3 things: 1. A founder member club of the FA formed by groundskeepers at the Great Exhibition site at Hyde Park . The club existed from 1861-1876.2. The London based Premier League club founded in 1905.

3. The sports venue.

Here we are turning our attention to the sports venue.

Crystal Palace was the venue for the FA Cup final from 1895 -1914, 22 matches including 1 replay.

20.04.95

Aston Villa

1

0

West Bromwich Albion

42,560

Villa scored after 30 seconds.

18.04.96

The Wednesday

2

1

Wolverhampton Wanderers

48,836

Another first minute goal- Fred Spiksley scoring the first of his brace. All the goals came in the opening 18 minutes. The story goes that Tennant, the Wolverhampton goalkeeper, was dazed, and didn’t realise that Spiksley’s second goal had been awarded, the ball cannoning down off the bar.

10.04.97

Aston Villa

3

2

Everton

65,891

Often referred to as one of the great games of all time- a see saw affair with all 5 goals coming in 27 minutes before half time. Villa sealed The Double when results of League matches played on the same day confirmed them as Champions.

16.04.98

Nottingham Forest

3

1

Derby County

62,017

An east midlands derby famous for an error by Fryer the Derby goalkeeper.

15.04.99

Sheffield United

4

1

Derby County

73,833

With 2 3rds of the match played Derby were 1-0 up. The final 30 minutes saw United romp home.

21.04.00

Bury

4

0

Southampton

68,985

Southampton of the Southern League had the great Jack Robinson in goal, but Bury overwhelmed them in the final.

20.04.01

Tottenham Hotspur

2

2

Sheffield United

114,815

The replay took place at Burnden Park, Bolton. The first match gave us the earliest known movie footage of a Cup Final. Tottenham were a Southern league side at the time.

19.04.02

Sheffield United

1

1

Southampton

76,914

26.04.02

Sheffield United

2

1

Southampton

33,068

The first match gave rise to Willie Foulke’s legendary naked pursuit of the referee, Mr Kirkham.

18.04.03

Bury

6

0

Derby County

63,102

Bury have appeared in 2 Cup Finals, winning both with a 5-0 average! Derby were actually favourites going into the match, but the scoreline remains the biggest margin in an FA Cup Final.

23.04.04

Manchester City

1

0

Bolton Wanderers

61,374

The first all- Lancashire Cup Final, and Manchester City’s first major trophy win.

7 Scots for Newcastle this time out- a goal from Sandy Young wins it for Everton.

20.04.07

The Wednesday

2

1

Everton

84,584

Everton failed to retain the Cup- George Simpson’s winner coming in the 86th minute.

25.04.08

Wolverhampton Wanderers

3

1

Newcastle United

74,967

Further misery for The Magpies in the final of the Aitches- Hunt, Headley, Howie and Harrison being the goalscorers.

24.04.09

Manchester United

1

0

Bristol City

71,401

United’s first Cup win.

23.04.10

Newcastle United

1

1

Barnsley

77,747

A hard fought match in which Barnsley, playing a physical game, enjoyed periods of dominance. The replay was at Goodison. Newcastle winning 2-0.

22.04.11

Bradford City

0

0

Newcastle United

69,068

The replay was at old Trafford- normal service was resumed for Newcastle- Jimmy Speirs getting City’s winner.

20.04.12

Barnsley

0

0

West Bromwich Albion

54,434

The 3rd drawn final in succession. A disappointing match by all accounts. The replay was at Bramall Lane, the only goal coming in the 118th minute as Harry Tufnell won it for Barnsley.

19.04.13

Aston Villa

1

0

Sunderland

121,919

With the exception of the 1923 debacle this was the largest ever FA Cup Final attendance. Charlie Wallace missed a penalty for Villa in a match noted for rough play. Villa played with 10m men for 10 minutes whilst their goalkeeper, Hardy received treatment. The game was also marked by 10 minutes plus of added time.

25.04.14

Burnley

1

0

Liverpool

72,778

The King, George V, became the first reigning monarch to attend a Cup Final.

Harry Rennie saved a penalty from Ernest Needham early in the game. Fred Blackburn opened the scoring, tapping in from an offside position in the 36th minute. John Campbell equalised 3 minutes after the break. On 75 minutes Bob Hamilton headed Scotland into the lead, but Bloomer ran the length of the pitch to score an equaliser in the 80th.

George Wall scored both England’s goals in the opening 10 minutes. Late in the game England ‘keeper Sam Hardy saved a James Stark penalty.

04.03.11

England Amateurs

4

0

Belgium

4,000

A meagre crowd to watch one of The Amateurs routine wins against continental opposition. Vivian Woodward inevitably scored, George Webb of West Ham got 2 and Belgium contributed an own goal.

The stadium was developed in the area of the map enclosed in the rectangle.

When Surrey County Cricket Club withdrew The Oval from football service there was a call to establish a national centre at which to play internationals and the Cup Final. England, of course , had been playing internationals in the north and midlands since the 1880s.

25,000 watched the last final to be played at The Oval in 1892, and the next 2 finals were played at Fallowfield and Goodison respectively. Fallowfield was a disaster, with only 45,000 out of 60,000 plus spectators paying admission, and crowd encroachment interfering with play. 37,000 watched the Goodison final.

In order to secure the contract to host the Cup Final The Crystal Palace Company guaranteedthe FA a sum equal to the Final receipts from 1894 (£1189) plus a percentage of the gate money. The 1895 Final drew receipts of £1545.

The Crystal Palace , constructed in Hyde Park for the great exhibition of 1851, was relocated to Sydenham in 1854 .

In 1895 the football stadium was created in a natural basin in the Palace Park.

The change from The Oval was welcomed in most quarters- the popularity of the Final as a spectacle in the professional era having outgrown the cricket ground. The accommodation for spectators was limited by the playing area being in the cricket outfield. The cricket club were also concerned about damage to the turf.

In 1895 Wolverhampton petitioned the FA to switch the all midland final against Villa to a venue more convenient to supporters- they proposed Wolverhampton!

The Final was moved to Manchester as a wartime measure in 1915, and by the time the war was over Crystal Palace was no longer considered a suitable venue.

In the summer of 1904 the Austro- Hungarian Empire received a healthy dose of Scottish Football. Celtic and Rangers had finished 4th and 3rd respectively in the league, and Celtic had beaten Rangers 3-2 in the Scottish Cup Final.In May of that year both Glasgow sides traveled to Vienna and Prague on tour. Wiener AC had invited Celtic, whereas Rangers had been invited by the Austrian Football association to mark the 10th anniversary of First Vienna.The forward thinking Hugo Meisl was instrumental in arranging contact with British clubs as a means of developing the game in Austria. Boldklubben af 1893 (Copenhagen) were also invited to participate in First Vienna's celebrations.

22.05.04

First Vienna

2

7

Glasgow Rangers

Vienna

23.05.04

Boldklub 1893

0

9

Glasgow Rangers

26.05.04

Boldklub 1893

3

5

Glasgow Rangers

29.05.04

Wiener AC

0

8

Glasgow Rangers

03.06.04

Prague XI

1

6

Glasgow Rangers

Prague

05.06.04

Slavia Prague

0

5

Glasgow Rangers

As you can see, Rangers' trip was pretty much par for the course for Edwardian continental tours- undefeated and averaging 7 goals a game. A by-product of the journey (other than tales of postcards written by the Rangers goalie during the Wiener AC match whilst his teammates kept the ball for over 5 minutes with an exhibition of passing) was the signing of an Austrian goalkeeper.Karl Pekarna, a postman, began his career with a Vienna club confusingly called FC Sevilla.He joined First Vienna as an 18 year old and developed a good reputation- he was an exponent of what was known in Austria as the Robinsonade - the diving save, and showed good acrobatic and handling skills. The first game between Rangers and Boldklub 1893 was affected by torrential rain, and as the matches were intended to be exhibitions, the Danes suggested that they should replay in more favourable conditions.Rangers borrowed Pekarna for the rematch, and he impressed to the extent that they offered him a contract. John Watson's position as Ranger's keeper was not assured, although he received positive reviews in the press following the Cup Final, he would play only 25 games for the club, and Rangers had signed Allan from Falkirk at the beginning of May.In October 1904 Pekarna played for Vienna v Budapest in a city select match that was later granted the status of a full international. He would represent Austria on one more occasion, in 1908.Later that year Pekarna moved to Glasgow, thus becoming Rangers' first overseas signing and Austria's first professional.

Pekarna featured regularly for the reserves, but played only one first team game,a friendly against Queen's Park at Hampden (08.05.05). He was offered an extension of his £3 10s a week contract, but opted to return to Vienna.

Pekarna (Bayern) beaten by Fuchs (Karlsruher FV)

One problem that Pekarna had on his return to Vienna was the fact that he had been a professional in Scotland. Austrian football was still amateur. First Vienna re signed him, but were threatened with expulsion by the city's Association. The matter was resolved in the September of 1905.Pekarna joined FC Wacker München in 1908, but again his status as a former professional caused uncertainty. Eventually he joined FC Bayern in 1910. He returned to Vienna after the war, playing for Slovan.

Malvern College was one of the 'public' schools that retained Association football as its winter game when many others drifted towards Rugby. The photograph above shows the school first XI.In 1897 former pupils formed the Old Malvernians FC. The club won the FA Amateur Cup in 1902 and 4 club members represented England:Cuthbert Pinky Burnup (1896- 1 cap).Rex Corbett (1903 - 1 cap). Sammy Day (1906- 3 caps, 2 goals).R. E. Foster(1900-02- 5caps, 2 goals).

Hans Kamper was instrumental in the foundation of FC Zurich in 1896. He was an all round sportsman, interested in athletics, cycling, tennis, golf and even Rugby (which he played when living in France).

In 1899 he travelled to Barcelona on route to Africa. Whilst he was in Catalunya he decided to form another team to satisfy his passion for football. Consequently FC Barcelona was founded.

Thanks to Catalan attempts to pronounce his name, Hans Kamper became Kans or Joan Gamper. He played 48 games for Barcelona (1899 -1903), scoring over 100 goals. As a player he was a winner of Copa Macaya (1902) and Copa Barcelona (1903)

An affluent businessman and naturalized Catalan, Gamper was president of Barcelona on 5 occasions (1908-09, 1910-13, 1917-19, 1921-23 and 1924-25).

During the 1920's the right-wing Government punished Barcelona for the Catalan nationalist tendencies of their supporters. Their stadium was closed for 6 months.Gamper later suffered depression and had financial difficulties. He took his own life in 1930.